Films to Watch

There are a lot of tremendous documentaries out there, many of them very obscure, that can be great tools for Earth-propagandizing. Movies can affect and reach people in ways that books cannot (and vice versa, of course). So here are some of my favorite Earth-and-animal-liberation-related films, and links to where some of them can be found.

Testify! Eco-Defense and the Politics of Violence (complete here on YouTube in 9 parts)

PickAxe (full movie on CrimethInc.’s website)
An eclectic mix of activists take a stand to protect an old growth forest from logging at Warner Creek in the Willamette National Forest of Oregon, blockading the logging road and repelling the State Police. Over months a community builds around the illegal blockade as it develops into the Cascadia Free State and similar actions spread across the region. Years after its release, Pickaxe has become a classic document of the potential for grassroots direct action to achieve victory against the forces of both government and big business. Lovingly crafted by the participants themselves, the film expertly presents every moment, from confrontation to celebration. [94 min.]

Breaking the Spell (full movie on CrimethInc.’s website)
An hour-long look at the 1999 Seattle WTO protests and the anarchists who traveled there to set a new precedent for militant confrontation, this documentary picks up where Pickaxe left off. Filmed in the thick of the action, including footage that aired nationally on 60 Minutes, it captures a moment when world history was up for grabs.

22/8: The Jeffrey Luers Story (complete film on YouTube in 5 parts)
This film, made by the Cascadia Media Collective in March 2005 and finalized in early 2006 features the background of Jeff’s case and the motives for his actions from his perspective. It attempts to explain how the state has attempted to portray Jeff as an eco-terrorist leader, and the effects this has had on both the length of the sentence and his life behind bars. The film is 40 minutes long.

END:CIV (complete film at http://submedia.tv/splash/ )
Examines our culture’s addiction to systematic violence and environmental exploitation, and probes the resulting epidemic of poisoned landscapes and shell-shocked nations. Based in part on Endgame, the best-selling book by Derrick Jensen, END:CIV asks: “If your homeland was invaded by aliens who cut down the forests, poisoned the water and air, and contaminated the food supply, would you resist?”

Behind the Mask: The Story of People Who Risk Everything to Save Animals

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (http://www.ifatreefallsfilm.com/)
Tells the remarkable story of the rise and fall of this ELF cell, by focusing on the transformation and radicalization of one of its members. Part coming-of-age tale, part cops-and-robbers thrilller, the film interweaves a verite chronicle of Daniel on house arrest as he faces life in prison, with a dramatic recounting of the events that led to his involvement with the group. And along the way it asks hard questions about environmentalism, activism, and the way we define terrorism.

Sharkwater

Watch
Filmed by Briana Waters, who was later indicted for connections to ELF actions, it shows the multi-faceted campaign in which American Indian and forest defense activists engaged to save old-growth forest in southwestern Washington.

All My Heroes Still Wear Masks(vivisection and the campaign against HLS, watch here )